Radio DJ, MC, producer and UJ alumna Mantsoe Tsatsi—better known as Mantsoe Pout—has built an influential name in South Africa’s entertainment industry. From UJFM to YFM, Metro FM and now 947, her voice continues to shape the sound of local airwaves.
Currently, her soothing voice eases people into their weekends on the show 947 Weekends with Mantsoe from 7am to 10am.
But her journey didn’t start in entertainment as she pursued a Psychology degree at the University of Johannesburg.
You pursued a BA in Psychology at the University of Johannesburg. What initially drew you to study Psychology?
When I was in high school, I was pretty sure I was going to do something in the Maths and Science field because that was always my interest and I did really well in those subjects. I don’t know what happened because when I got to UJ I applied for Psychology. I always say it’s because I was influenced by my uncle’s wife who is a therapist and I admired her and wanted to be like her. When I got to UJ, something just led me to choose Psychology.
Were there any modules or lecturers that left a lasting impression?
I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I enjoyed Psychology and I always say one day I should actually practice. Studying human behaviour is something I really fell in love with. My ancillary was sociology, which I really loved. It was such a different space from being a numbers kid to becoming a lover of writing that I had never immersed myself in previously. I enjoyed modules like sociology and statistics, obviously. When everyone was crying about it I was happy to show off that numbers were still my thing.
How has your Psychology background influenced your work in radio?
The beauty of having studied Psychology is how relatable you feel it makes you. It is easy to put yourself in people’s shoes and pardon people when you may be frustrated with them. In the space I work in, everyone’s opinions have to be considered. You have to see where everyone is coming from. I do believe without the background of studying human behaviour, I don’t know if I would be equipped to deal with different people.
You have to be sensitive to all sorts of people. Sometimes you are caught off guard. It is like your superpower is knowing how to deal with people. It’s in conversation and knowing how to talk to each person as an individual. On my show, a very family dense show, means I could be speaking to a 50-year-old Milton and then to 9-year-old Zayne. Being able to move across demographics is highly sensitised by what I studied. Being able to give every space the attention and adjustment it requires when needed is a skill.
What was student life like for you at UJ?
Student life was interesting. I always say I wish I could go back to varsity and have the full experience. I enjoyed it but I was a working child – I went straight into radio (UJFM) and theatre (Arts and Culture) and other work outside of the University. One thing I think I missed out on was just being able to have that student experience because I was split between being involved in all the arts I was involved in and school. I didn’t stop to enjoy the other things that made me a student like sitting on the lawns and chilling with friends. I told all my siblings to try and do everything they could when they got to varsity
It really equips you for real life, it is a proper training ground for how your life is going to be. I am grateful for that. University really moulded me into who I wanted to become. I was a busy student because I had found what I knew would be the rest of my life.
Was there a turning point when you knew radio was your calling?
When I joined UJFM, I was a newsreader. I auditioned to be a presenter and they said news was better suited. But I knew myself and what I wanted. It was during my first year on UJFM radio that I thought to myself – I don’t know if I am going to do my postgrad for Psychology…radio was set in stone. I immersed myself in spaces – I shadowed Dineo Ranaka for a couple of weeks at YFM on weekends.
That was in second or third year and I decided then that I would continue to work in radio and I would work at YFM. When YFM called me during my third year to work for them, I just knew my path was laid out for me. I made radio my priority to make sure I could really move with it as a career.
So your transition from a university student to a professional in the demanding world of radio was almost seamless?
Absolutely. In fact, by the time I was going to YFM, I started during my final year of my degree. I never had that sitting at home period having to wonder what is next.
Radio can be incredibly rewarding but also demanding. How do you maintain your mental health in the spotlight?
What has been a telling thing for me lately is how my friends like to say I ‘therapise’ everything, I make sense of everything. I think it gets tough to separate yourself once you know the truth, your goggles stay off when you study psychology. I am always investigating and analysing. I do go to therapy, I think that’s why I am now interested in going back to school to do that postgrad to see how I can research people more. I apply what I studied quite a lot.
I don’t find myself frustrated by work or people around me as easily as I think I would have been if I didn’t study what I did. That is the beauty in a Humanities degree, it really teaches you human behaviour. I think if everyone could have the opportunity to study at least one module from the Psychology degree – running concurrently with what they are studying – we would be in a better world.
Looking back, what’s your biggest personal lesson?
Everyone needs everyone. It doesn’t matter how big or small you think the next person is. We are living in the age of influence – you need to know what influences you and who influences you. You can’t do this life thing alone. People need people.
What’s your advice to UJ students?
Believe it or not – these are the best years of your life. You are going to meet people that will change your life, people that will heavily influence your life. Varsity is a big world, at 18 you can’t fathom just how big it is. Some of us leave our families to live in a residence or move into an apartment. It is such a big step to take on your own. You have to give yourself grace. You are putting yourself out there for the world to accept you or not.
This is where you make lifelong friends. You could become the best of your lineage or become destructive. It is a privilege, even though it shouldn’t be, because not everyone will get the opportunity. It can change your life and in turn change the lives of others through you. So take it seriously but also enjoy it.
Beyond radio, what other projects excite you right now?
We are actually about to shoot Season 2 of my Podcast – Moments with Mantsoe. We are in pre-production and I am so excited. I took a long break after Season 1 to go back to the drawing board. I also launched my Supper Club. I love cooking so much. I have always done it for friends and family and they always encouraged me to cook for more people. So the Supper Club – Eat Your Art Out – is a pop up restaurant with a tailor made three course menu hosted inside a gallery because I love art and food. I am working on the second instalment of this social dining experiment.
I also produce for television and there are some projects I am hoping will be coming to life very soon.
I was also the creative content director for the international format show The Masked Singer on SABC 3. I have been enjoying finding other things that make me happy but at the core of it radio drives everything.
That’s why I say university can really change your life. I did one thing at UJ right and it led me to the rest of my life.
What legacy do you hope to leave behind—as a broadcaster and as a UJ alumna?
Definitely that I finish what I start. I lived everyday to finish my purpose. I want to leave this place knowing I did all I could. I want to be known as someone who lived a full life. I still dream, I am still a child to someone so I have wild dreams – I still remember the dreams I had when I was 8 years old.
I am living some of those dreams out loud. I want to be able to tick them all off knowing they are part of my journey. I love to be happy. I want to chase as many happy days as possible. I want to be remembered as someone who lived exactly how they wanted and lived out their purpose.
